Once Upon a Moonlit Sky
by Riika Duskraven
Summary: It's been four and a half years since Nezumi left and Shion can't stop thinking about him. Lately, Shion's sure he can feel Nezumi nearby. But even the whispering of his name on the wind has him questioning his sanity. But is he really crazy, or could Nezumi actually have returned?
1. Reminiscent of Back Then

Hello again everyone!

Riika is back with the first part of her next story! Excited? I know I am!

Anyways, my obnoxiousness aside, thank you for the kind reviews and I hope you continue to enjoy my work. After all, I don't write this stuff just for me. If I did, it wouldn't be here!

Anyways, without further ado, Here is Chapter 1.

Disclaimer: I do not own No. 6. If I did, would there really only have been like 4 semi-fluff scenes? No. There would be more, because the fandom demands it!

* * *

It was midnight by the time he reached the ruins of the wall that used to separate No. 6 and West Block. They had long since cleared away the rubble, but the still-standing parts of the wall were left untouched as a reminder of the terror that once was. And now, he stood staring out at the rebuilt West Block. There was no West Block anymore, though. No No. 6. He had made sure of that long ago. They were now one city-state, though most of the residents lived in the former No. 6 since many of the homes had still been intact even after the devastation that had plagued the city thanks to Elyurias.

It was a long minute before he his feet moved forward. He walked for nearly thirty minutes at a slow pace before he figured out where he was going. He stood immobile a few feet away from the stairs that led underground to the place he had spent his time in for much of his 16th year of life. When he had left the bakery earlier he had told himself he was going to visit Inukashi. But it was inevitable that he end up here. It wasn't the first time. Nor would it be the last. Once he reached that wall, no matter what he intended to do, his feet would lead him here. To this place that held so many wonderful and not-so-wonderful memories.

He hadn't gone inside though. Not once, in these past four and a half years, had he gone inside. For some reason he could never bring himself to do it.

But today was different. He willed himself to move. To go down the stairs and push the door open. He wanted to be there just one more time. _Just one more time._ It had been so long. He surprised himself when he found he could force himself to move the last the few feet to the stairs.

He spent a longer time going down than was necessary, but he didn't care. This was hard for him. He placed his hand on the doorknob but hesitated a moment before pushing the door open. It creaked from being out of use for so long and the sound echoed eerily down the hallway. He repressed a shudder as he made his way down the hall to the door he knew led to his home.

He was starting to reconsider going inside. Maybe he shouldn't. What if it had changed since he'd last been there? No. He couldn't turn back now. He had made it this far, there was only one door between him and his former home now. Taking a deep breath, he turned the handle and opened the door, stepping inside.

It was exactly the same as they had left it. There were piles of books he hadn't sorted yet still cluttered around the room. The stew pot was still in its place. The key protector on the piano was up. Even the blankets on the bed were in the same messy position they had been when they'd left for the correctional facility. He almost couldn't believe it. He lit one of the lanterns with a match he was surprised still worked after all this time.

He gently wiped the dust from the piano keys and slid the protector down over them. He glanced over at the wall and caught his reflection in the broken mirror. His white hair glowed in the candlelight and his eyes held a sliver of remembrance in their crimson depths.

He moved to the pile of books by the bed. He skimmed the titles. They were all the ones he and his partner had read the most. He was reluctant to disturb them, but picked up the copy of Macbeth that was on top. It had been the first book he'd picked up here. He flopped onto the couch, sending up a poof of dust. He coughed before the dust settled and he flipped open to a random page in the book.

* * *

He had been reading for a while when the light dimmed. _One of the candles must've gone out._ He thought. He didn't really mind. There was still enough light to read by. A few minutes passed and the light dimmed again, casting dark shadows across the room, before quickly regaining its former intensity. This time, he looked up. _That's odd_. He thought as he set the open book down on the table.

The light flickered again, but this time he was watching. The candle flames didn't so much as move, never mind dim. _Creepy. _He noted. He shrugged and picked up his book, leaning back into the couch again.

Another few minutes passed and he saw a shadow on the wall. It seemed oddly familiar. He glanced around but he was alone. A moment later it was gone. _I must be working too hard_, he decided and got back to his book. At some point, his exhaustion had caught up to him and he fell sideways, asleep, with the book held loosely open to the page he'd been reading.

* * *

He let his eyes flutter open and he stretched. He glanced around for his book, trying to find where it had gone. Macbeth was nowhere close to him. Hamlet, however, was open on the table. "But I wasn't reading Hamlet," he thought aloud.

"Yes you were, airhead. Can't even remember what book you're reading? That's pretty pathetic."

The familiar voice made him freeze and he titled his head back until he could see the source. He found his eyes immediately locked with the steel-gray ones of his friend. "Nezumi?" he asked, as if he couldn't quite believe it.

"Are you sick or something? Who else would I be?" Nezumi seemed confused.

"You're back!"

"I had to work late but I've been home for a while."

"Work?"

Nezumi sighed in frustration. "The theater. We had a late performance today."

"The theater," Shion repeated quietly to himself. The pieces seemed to click together then. "Nezumi?"

"What?"

"What's the date today?"

"January second. Shouldn't you know that already?"

But I thought..." His voice trailed off. _January second. That can't be right. It was September fifth last I knew_.

By this point, Nezumi had gone back to his book. Shion was still pondering the date.

"Nezumi?"

"What?"

"Have you-?" His didn't get to finish his question.

"Shion."

He was sure that was Nezumi's voice. He wouldn't be able to even pretend it was someone else's. But Nezumi hadn't spoken. He knew, he'd been watching.

"Shion."

_There it is again. But if that's not Nezumi, who is it?_ He wondered.

"Shion!"

He blinked his eyes closed and when he opened them again he saw that it was rather dark in the room. He sat up and glanced around curiously. He was alone, the copy of Macbeth in his hand still. "It was just a dream. Weird. It felt so real," he said to no one in particular. It made sense that that had been a dream. _Still, it felt so real... _He flipped Macbeth closed and placed it carefully back where it had been in the pile. He blew out the barely there flame in the lantern and left, closing the door behind him.

* * *

As he left the underground shelter, he felt the dawn breeze sweep over him. It sent a chill down his spine, though the morning was relatively warm. "It's already dawn. I should have been at Inukashi's hours ago. She's gonna kill me!" he thought aloud, taking off at a run towards the inn.

He didn't stop running until he was almost there. He took a moment to stop and breathe. The cool morning wind swept past him and he was almost sure he could his name being called from somewhere nearby. _It's just the wind_, he told himself as he made his way into Inukashi's inn, mentally preparing himself for the shouting and cursing that he knew was coming.

* * *

What did you think, huh? It took me forever to get this chapter started. Hopefully the rest of it will come together as smoothly as I want it to. Should have the next chapter up around this time next week.

Reviews are always welcome. They help me get better!

I think I heard someone say catnip, so I'm gonna go find it! Have a good week, nya~


	2. Out of Orbit

Ha! I'm earlier than you expected aren't I?

Yup that's me. Being an overachiever like always.

Anyways, this chapter is generally pointless. Really, it is. It's just a transition chapter. I was going to include it as part of the next chapter but I didn't want it to be too long so I made it separate. It's not important at all, but it may help to make things a _tiny_ bit clearer (probably not ).

Disclaimer:: I do not own No. 6. If I did, Inukashi's gender would have been more clearly specified.

* * *

"Shion?"

"Shion!"

The whitette looked up to see irritation in the brown eyes that were staring down at him. "What?"

"Snap out of it, moron! You haven't moved in nearly ten minutes." The brunette let out a frustrated sigh and fell into the couch.

"Sorry," Shion mumbled. He couldn't help but be distracted. That dream had been so real. Like Nezumi was actually there. And that voice. That voice_._ There was no mistaking it._ It had to have been him..._

"What's the matter with you? You've been spacey all day. First you spend three times as long as normal washing _one dog_ and then you go and do stuff like that. Jeez, it's no wonder he-" she didn't finish. Bringing up Nezumi now would just make things worse. It may have been well over four years now since that rat had left, but it was still a sensitive topic. None of them ever brought it up.

Shion started blankly at the cup of coffee Inukashi had given him. It was iced, but that had long since melted in the September heat. He hadn't even taken a sip, though he'd been holding it for a while. Inukashi had a point. He was off today. _Is it because of that dream? _he wondered. But he knew the answer. Of course it was. He missed Nezumi more than he could have imagined. And a dream such as that one, so real, so happy, only made it worse. And that voice that was so clearly Nezumi. The one that had woken him from that strange but happy dream. _Could he have been there?_

"Earth to Shion! Are you even listening to me?"

He shifted his gaze from the cup to the brunette sitting across from him. "I'm sorry. What were you saying?"

Inukashi sighed again. "What am I going to do with you? If you're gonna act stupid like that all day I'll have to keep Ran tonight. Wouldn't want her getting pulled into your world in outer space after all."

Shion let out a soft sigh and leaned back in his chair. He'd almost forgotten he was watching Ran that night. It was Friday, he should have known that. Fridays he spent helping Inukashi wash dogs and he took Ran for the night so she could have a day off. How could he have forgotten? "I can watch her. I'm fine," he argued. He liked being able to spend time with Ran. When he'd sent the child to Inukashi on that day four years ago he never would have imagined how attached she would have grown to the child. Still, he was glad Ran had such a good mother, even if she could be a little rough sometimes.

"Fine. But only because I know you're staying with Karan tonight. I trust her to look after my little girl."

Shion laughed quietly, taking a sip of his coffee. It was bitter and watered down, but it was better than nothing. "Inukashi?"

"What?" She was still annoyed, he noted.

"Do you think it's possible to share dreams?" he asked.

She gave him a puzzled look. "Share like tell someone about it? I'm not here to listen to your stories if that's what you were hoping for."

Shion shook his head. "No, I mean to share a dream with someone. To have the same dream at the same time and possibly be able to communicate with each other..." his voice trailed off. Even as he spoke it he knew it sounded crazy. It was an idea, but not a likely one.

His thoughts were reflected in the way Inukashi was looking at him like he had two heads. She burst out laughing. "Only you would think up something as impossible as that! Get your head out of the clouds. There's no way that's possible." She was still laughing.

Shion pouted. "Okay, I get it. Forget I even asked," he complained. _Inukashi may not believe it, but I do. It's possible. I know it is._ Confirming it for himself, he believed it. If two people were close like he and Nezumi then why wouldn't it be possible?

He sighed and set the mostly full mug of coffee on the table. He stood and stretched. "I should be going. I want to spend some time with Ran before my meeting."

Inukashi nodded. "Yeah. She's in her room so make sure she's got everything she'll need. I'll see you tomorrow." She half-waved in farewell before grabbing the cup and disappearing from the room.

* * *

Shion made his way down to Ran's room. He knocked lightly on the door and it swung open almost immediately. A girl of no more than five years stood in the open doorway. Her honey brown hair hung in thick curls to her waist and she was wearing a cute kimono that Shion assumed Inukashi had bought her recently. She stared up with big brown eyes and a bright smile on her face. "Papa!" she shouted excitedly, wrapping him in a tight embrace.

He smiled, holding the girl tightly for a moment before releasing her. "You ready to go, Ran? We're spending the night with Grandma Karan."

The child nodded. She grabbed her bag from the bed and slid on her sandals. Shion swept her up in one arm, slinging the backpack on his other shoulder. "See you tomorrow Inukashi!" he called over his shoulder before making his way onto the street. He set course for the bakery, where he knew his mother would be waiting for them.

* * *

Pointless chapter over.

What did you think? Reviews are always welcome.

I smell treats, nya~


	3. A Matter of Sanity

Hello everyone!

Riika's back and you know what that means? Another chapter's out, yay!

So I meant to get this up for you guys yesterday, I really did. But I've been sick for a few days and just couldn't do anything.

But I'm getting better! Kinda. Not really.

But I was determined to get something up for you guys like I promised I would so here it is. This chapter is kinda short, but the next one will be longer.

Disclaimer:: I do not own No. 6! If I did, would I really be here writing this?

* * *

"Damn," he cursed quietly as the empty metal tray clattered to the floor. He picked it up and set it back on the counter again. _So much for leaving quietly_, he thought as he pushed the open the door. He was met with a gust of cool night air. He closed the door as silently as he could before taking off.

* * *

It didn't take him long to reach the park. It had been pretty beat up after what had happened, but he had been sure to rebuild it and the rest of the city to a new glory that could be appreciated with different and open views. That's what he had wanted to do by taking down the wall. And that's what he hoped he had accomplished. It seemed like he had, but he couldn't be sure.

He slid onto a swing and gently kicked his foot off the ground, sending him back ever so slightly and then forward again. He kept that slow but steady pace as he lost himself to his thoughts.

_I wonder how Nezumi's doing. I hope he's okay. Probably. It is Nezumi after all. He's perfectly capable of taking care of himself. Maybe I'm just worried too much. Yeah, that's it._ He decided. He was worried and he could admit that openly. He knew it. He'd been worried about the ravenette for so long it had become just a natural feeling to him. But what had changed that all of a sudden? He wasn't sure.

Scratch that, yes he did. _It was that dream. The one that I thought wasn't a dream at first._ Right, that dream. He let out a sigh. He could still see it as clear as day; Nezumi lounging on the bed with his book. He could hear the three robotic mice running around. He could feel the rough, worn out fabric of the couch. He could smell the dust and distinct old book smell. It was so real he could almost taste it.

_Is this really all I can think about? Am I really dwelling on the past like someone who's done nothing? Accomplished nothing in life? It's been years. What's wrong with me?_ He wondered silently. He couldn't understand why something as simple a dream was affecting him so much. He used to have dreams like that before. He couldn't recall them ever having this much effect on him, though.

He sighed again. "Maybe I'm just going crazy," he thought aloud.

The sound of metal clanging together and laughter reached him. _That's..!_ He turned in a half circle to see if he'd heard right. There was nothing there. Somewhat disappointed, he settled on his swing again. He turned his crimson eyes skyward. "The moon's so bright tonight," he noted. The full moon above glittered with a surreal quality. It looked to him as if the crystals that sparkled on its surface were made of the tears of the lost and helpless. _Are my tears from long ago a part of that sea?_ he wondered.

The wind picked up and ruffled his snowy hair. "Shion."

His attention instantly fell away from the celestial body and he glanced around again. "Nezumi?" he called into the darkness warily.

"Shion..." It echoed that time, though there was nothing for it to echo against.

"Who's there?" he called, more skeptical this time that the voice he heard was really Nezumi's.

A laugh was his only answer before it fell silent again.

The whitette let out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding and turned his gaze back to the midnight sky. "I must be crazy."

* * *

So what did you think? He does kinda seem a little crazy. BUT that's not the point!

Reviews are always welcome~

Riika's gonna go try and sleep the sickness away, nya~


	4. End of Solitude

Riika's back with the last chapter of the story!

Are you excited for this? I am. I couldn't stop writing once I started.

I hope you like it because I write for you guys, not for me.

Disclaimer:: I do not own No. 6. Seriously, why would I be here if I did?

* * *

Fading sunlight filtered through the window and into the living room of the house above the bakery. The space was small, but it was enough to fit the seven or so people who were there. Conversation filled the air accompanied by the scents of various pastries. There was music playing, classical, but it was quiet, barely loud enough to be heard.

It was a wonderful party, and he couldn't deny that, but he couldn't seem to keep focused on the people that were there. His mother, Inukashi and Ran, Rikiga, and a few of his coworkers. They were all there celebrating with him. He should have been happy. So why wasn't he? He didn't need to answer that. It was so obvious even a young child like Ran would be able to see it. If he hadn't been putting on that cheerful front, that is.

But he was. He was smiling and laughing as the statements and jokes swirled around him, a blur of sounds that didn't have real form. But it was all fake. The smiling, the laughing, the small bits he added to the conversation when he deemed it necessary. He couldn't stop thinking about _him_.

He could feel worried eyes on him. His mother had known something was wrong and she worried for her son's well-being. He was fine, physically at least. Mentally, he was exhausted. His mind raced all day with thoughts of his missing companion and at night, his dreams wouldn't let him sleep. He was okay for now, but what would happen when it was time to go to work again? He couldn't afford to be distracted there. There were too many things that could go wrong because of it.

* * *

It was hot in the room with everyone there, even if the sliding door was half-open to the chilling night air. He let out a soft sigh and stood from his seat on the arm of the couch that had been pushed against the wall. "I think I need some air," he said aloud to no one in particular. He crossed the room as quickly as he could without looking like he was trying to escape and stepped out onto the veranda.

He leaned against the railing, looking out over the cityscape. It was well-lit, as it was only nine in the evening. The cool wind bit at his skin and he shivered. It was refreshing compared to the heat of the living room. He leaned back, looking up. It was cloudless and the stars were shining through the purple expanse of twilight sky. "I wonder if Nezumi can see how pretty it looks too," he thought aloud.

Another sigh escaped his lips as he supported himself using the railing. His eyes slid closed and he let himself enjoy the sting of the breeze. He felt almost weightless, free. It was easier to think out here where there were no distractions. "He'd probably think looking up at the stars is something only idiots do," he added. Still, the comfort of something familiar, even a statement like that, would have made him feel better.

* * *

Time had slowed down in his head and it felt like ages before he finally opened his eyes again. The sky was black now, an endless wilderness of shining gems up above. "I should get back inside," he told himself. It was his birthday, he should be celebrating with everyone else.

Then he felt arms around him in a gentle, loving way and long strands of gray-blue hair fell over his head and into his line of sight. Time seemed to halt. "Or we could stay out here," an all-too-familiar voice suggested.

The white-haired boy's eyes widened in shock. He turned slowly, as if moving would cause the beautiful illusion to disappear. He stared up at the ravenette, his crimson orbs locking with familiar gray ones. "Nezumi?" he asked in disbelief. He'd been hearing things for days, for all he knew this Nezumi wasn't real either.

The taller smiled, caressing Shion's cheek and brushing his thumb over the head of the red snake that curled around his body. In the process, he wiped away tears he knew the other boy didn't know were there. For a moment, Shion let himself get caught up in the moment and he wrapped his arms around Nezumi. But just as he did so, the wariness returned. "How do I know you're real?" he mumbled against Nezumi's chest.

Nezumi sighed, tipping the whitette's head up so he could see his eyes. He was surprised to find the crimson hues were deadly serious, looking almost hurt at the thought. He brought their lips together in a light kiss, but the longing and desire each of them had endured turned it into a fiery, more passionate one.

"You're not crazy, Shion. I'm home."

* * *

All done!

So what did you think? Reviews are loved, they inspire more stories! If you have any ideas for stories or just random things you'd like to throw together to challenge me, I'd love to hear them! I write for a few different pairings and am thinking of writing for more. I love challenges, so if you can think up something good, let me know.

Gotta get back to my other current multi-chapter fic. Until next time, nya~


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